Stocking-folding apparatus



(No Model.)

D. WORRALL. STOCKINGFOLDING. APPARATUS.

No. 587,354. Patented Aug. 3,1897;

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UNITED STATES PATENT Enron.

DUODECIMUS IVORRALL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STOCKING-FOLDING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 587,354, dated August 3, 1897.

Application filed August 31 1896. Serial No. 604,3 96. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LDuonnon/ius WoRRALL, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Turning and Folding Stockings and Socks, of which the following is a specification.

In the treatmentof socks and stockings in modern public laundries it is customary, after washing and drying, to fold them by drawing the leg of the stocking down over the foot thereof, so as to leave the latter open at the heel ready for the insertion of the wearers foot, it being well known that stockings are most easily put on when folded in this manner. The carrying on of this operation by hand is rendered difficult by the natural moisture of the hand, which, particularly in warm weather, when the perspiration flows freely, prevents it from being readily thrust into the stocking, as is necessary to make the fold. This difticulty, obviously, is the more noticeable the smaller the sizes of the stockings operated upon and the larger the hand of the operator, and its practical eifect is to render this part of the laundering process unduly expensive.

The object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide mechanical devices Whereby the insertion of the hand in the stocking will be unnecessary, and whereby the operation as a whole may be more rapidly, and consequently more economically, carried on with equally good results so far as the-character of the fold obtained is concerned.

Further objects of the invention are to provide an apparatusof simple and inexpensive construction so designed as to be capable of bein-greadily understood and used by even the most unintelligent operatives.

The invention consists in the matters herein set forth, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrative of one form of device in which my improvements may be practically embodied, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device as a whole, showing the stocking in its first position thereon. Fig. 2 shows the stocking in its completed shape. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail side elevations showing the appearance of the stocking at different stages of the operation. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are sectional details showing further successive positions in the opem ation. Fig. 8 is a detail showing the manner of withdrawing the sock from the device. Fig. 9 is a fragmentary top plan view show ing some of the details of its construction.

In said drawings, A designates a base-board, to the opposite ends of which the two principal parts or arms B B of the apparatus are secured. Said arms project from the ends of the base-board A toward each other and terminate at a point above the middle portion of the board in close proximity to each other. They are secured in'this posit-ion by being fastened at their outer ends in any suitable manner, being herein shown as turned outwardly and inserted in metallic sockets b, which are screwed down upon the base-board A. At the approximate inner ends of the arms are provided suitable enlargements or knobs b 12 conveniently made, as herein shown, of approximately spherical shape. From the knobs b b pieces 6 of stiff springwire extend longitudinally in outwardlybowed curves along the arms topoints near the outer ends thereof, where they are united to the arms again by sleeves b These springwires 12 preferably stand in a common horizontal plane with the arms B B and form in effect two frameworks entirely separate from each other but in close proximity at their inner ends, over which the stockings may be stretched.

In using the device for the purpose described the operator takes hold of the stocking S at its upper open end S byseizing it at laterally opposite points 8 between the fingers of his two hands. The leg S of the stocking is then drawn over the arm B until the heel s strikes the end 19 of said arm, the stocking being so held that its foot S hangs downwardly. This position is substantially as shown in Fig. '1, except that in said figure the open end of the leg is turned back in the commencement of the second movement of the operation. Such second movement is accomplished by holding the stocking as before and giving the hands a reverse longitudinal movement first along the arm B to its inner end and then continuing along the arm B until the leg S is turned inside out and the heel is' wrinkled foldss of the lower portion of the leg and heel caused by the approach of the reversed open end S of the stocking as the latter is carried toward the arm B. As the movement continues these folds s are forced into the said reversed open end of the stocking by the end I) of the arm B, and as the foot of the stocking is held from slipping by the engagement of the end Z) with its heel said foot is gradually drawn up within the leg, after the manner shown in Fig. 4:, until it is wholly inclosed within the leg, when the latter is turned completely inside out and extended to its full length, as shown in Fig. 5. The turning and folding of the stocking are now complete, except that the foot is not smoothly expanded within the leg. To accomplish this, the whole stocking is slipped backwardly upon the arm B again, the told at the heel 3 being lifted sufficiently to permit the end knob 11 of the arm 13 to pass beneath it into the opening of the foot S At the completion of this movement the end knob b occupies the toe s of the stocking, and both the foot and leg of the stocking are expanded laterally by the spring-arms b so that the foot lies smoothly within the leg in the exact position desired. The stocking is now withdrawn from the apparatus by catching the leg, together with the inclosed toe, between the thumb and finger and drawing it through between the adjacent ends of the arms without disturbing its folds, after the manner shown in Fig. 8. The operation is thereupon complete and the stocking appears, as shown in Fig. 2, ready for final ironing or mangling or for immediate application to the foot of the wearer.

In the foregoing description the adjacent ends of the arms B B have been treated as though stationary, enough distance only bein g left between them to permit the introduction and removal of the stocking. This is a perfectly feasible and practically successful construction, but as a further improvement I have in this instance shown theknob b so secured as to be capable of longitudinal adjustment upon the arm B, so as to permit the space between the arms to be regulated as desired. Said knob b in this case is secured on the end of the arm B by a screw-threaded connection, and the sleeve b is made to move freely on said arm 13, so that by rotating the knob 19 it may be moved nearer to or farther from the opposite knob 5 The latter is, moreover, herein shown as made capable of a slight longitudinal movement on the arm B, the square extremity B of which slides freely within an aperture in said knob. A spring 12 serves to normally project the knob 12 against the knob b of the opposite arm, but

permits it to readily slip backward away from said knob 11 to afford a sufficient space for the entrance and removal of the stocking. The springs b and sleeve b move in unison with the knob W, said sleeve being made to slip freely on the arm B for this purpose. A stationary stop or collar 12 is placed at the inner end of the sleeve 19 and prevents the spring 13 from forcing the knob entirely free of the arm, as might otherwise happen in case the opposite arm B was temporarily removed or sprung to one side. The elfect of this construction in the use of the apparatus will be substantially as follows: When the stocking is first slipped between the knobs b b and drawn over the arm 13, the knob 72 will be forced back by the compression of the spring 19 In the second or reversed movement the change in the direction of pull on the stocking will aid the spring in pressing the knob 19 against the knob b and more securely hold the foot in place while being enveloped by the leg, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. The knobs will again spring apart when the stocking is drawn back upon the arm B, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, and when it is removed, as shown in Fig. 8.

It will be understood that the resilient construction of the framework of the arms which receives and expands the stocking is of practical value in accommodating various sizes of stockings and in securing a uniformly edective operation, and it will also be understood that the object of the bulging form of the stocking-engaging frames, particularly that of the arm which first receives the stocking, is to secure a sufficient frictional engagement of the stocking at the middle portion of the leg, While providing a looseness of the open end portion, which enables the latter to be doubled backward in the early part of the reverse movement by which the leg is turned inside out. Nevertheless this frictional engagement may be secured within the scope of my invention by other means which will distend the stocking and will hold back or retard that part of its length not yet reached by the bight of the relapped portion being turned or peeled thereover. Obvionsly,also,the arms may be moved or swung out of alinement in their sockets b or otherwise to permit the insertion and removal of the stocking, and it will be further understood that the construction may otherwise be widely varied in its details and may be applied to the turning of other articles than stockings and socks without departing from the broad spirit of my invention.

I claim 1. A stocking-folding apparatus comprising two opposing arms arranged with their inner ends in proximity, said arms being formed with resilient laterally-expansible portions located back from their proximate ends, whereby the stocking is held expanded when drawn over the arm.

2. The combination, in a stocking-folding apparatus, of two opposing arms arranged with their inner ends in proximity and formed with stockingengaging members bulging backwardly from their adjacent ends and then contracted to a narrower width.

3. The combination, in a stocking-folding apparatus, of two opposing arms arranged with their inner ends in proximity and formed with resilient stocking-en gaging members ex tending rearwardly and divergently from the adjacent ends and then converging to a narrower width.

4. The combination, in a stocking-folding apparatus, of two opposing arms arranged with their inner ends in'proximity and formed with stocking -engaging members, and a spring urging one of said members longitudinally of the arm toward the adjacent end of the opposing arm.

5. The combination, in a stocking-folding apparatus, of two opposing arms arranged with their inner ends in proximity, and provided with resiliently-expandin g stocking-engaging members, one of which is arranged to slide longitudinally of the arm, and a spring urging said sliding member toward the adjacent end of the opposing arm.

6. The combination, in a stocking-folding apparatus, of arms arranged With their inner ends in proximity, and adapted to enter and expand the stocking, and enlargements or knobs at the adjacent ends of the arms, one of said enlargements being adjustably connected to its arm, whereby the distance between the arms may be regulated.

7. The combination, in a stocking-folding apparatus, of arms arranged with their inner ends in proximity and adapted to enter and expand the stocking, enlargements or knobs at the proximate ends of said arms, one of said knobs having a sliding connection with its arm, and a spring applied to normally force said knob toward the other arm.

8. The combination with the base A, of the opposing arms B, B, mounted on said base and arranged with their inner ends in proximity, the enlargements 1), 19 at the proximate ends, and the lateral springs, b secured to the arms, substantially as described.

' 9. The combination with the base A, of the opposing arms B, B, mounted on said base and arranged with their inner ends in proximity, the enlargements b, b at their proximate ends, the lateral spring b the collar b and the longitudinally-acting spring 19 substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this29th day of August,

DUODEOIMUS WORRALL.

Witnesses:

HENRY W. CARTER, WILLIS D. SHAFER. 

